The Herman is a publication covering the Major and Superior Leagues of APBA baseball.

Monday, September 24, 2012

APBA Top 50 Hitting Prospects

In an agreement forged at a recent poker game with the benevolent King Lewis II, Acting Commissioner for Life, Kenny recently won, er, purchased the rights as the official sponsor of the APBA Minor League system. As a part of this agreement, Kenny expands his budding media empire to include a picture of Kenny on the Centerfield wall of every minor league stadium, the immediate retirement of Kenny's number across all minor league teams, a special hot dog (with mustard) to be added and sold at every minor league game called the "Kenny MVP Anderson Gold Glove Special" that includes a souvenir cup with Kenny's image for the low price of $14.95 (5 cents of every purchase will go to the Kenny MVP Anderson Foundation supporting "grammatical research and amelioration" and $1 of every purchase will go to the Alaskan Wildlife and Inuit Foundation), and finally, the sole rights as the official word on all minor league prospects and ranking of such. In related news, Kenny would like to announce the hiring of his first employee, Peter Brand, who Kenny won, er, hired at the same poker game from Brad Pitt. Brand will immediately assume the duties of managing and reporting on the new "Kenny Anderson Presents APBA's Minor League Prospect Rankings". So, without further ado, Kenny would like to introduce Kenny's main man, Peter Brand, with this year's prospect rankings. Kenny hopes you like them as much as Kenny does...

As the 2012 season heads to the finish line, it is time to look at the Top Prospects in APBA. Wondering who will be making an impact in 2013? Look no further than here. Note, I have only provided the rankings. Kenny insists I consult with actual scouts to provide the assessment of the top players. If it were up to me I would just send everyone a spreadsheet and be done as I loathe scouts and think they are dumb. But whatever. Here are the rankings of the Top 50 Hitting Prospects:

1. Bryce Parkman, OF – St.
Louis

Was there any question?At 19, Parkman already possesses the skills
to excel at the Major League level.In
fact, had he played at the big league level this year he undoubtedly would have
been better than Hamilton and maybe as good as Davenport or Bruce.The difference is St. Louis wants him ready to dominate which
he’s still a year or two away from.Talking to Robins’ management they expect Parkman to be on the level
with the Cobra’s big three.Realistically, while he has the potential to attain the level of a Chad
White or a Keith Lee he’s more likely to be on par with Gerald White Jr or
maybe an Alex Maldonado in a few years. Oh and an unnamed scout says, "Parkman, he's mostly a bunch of hype, but damn he has good hair. So, you never know."

2. Larry Brooks, 1B – Detroit

Another 19
year old phenom, a scout said, "Brooks may not be as flashy as the free swinging Parkman, but
he’s all business at the plate."The Detroit future star has
more gap power than Parkman (of all balls hit to the gap by both players, Brooks traveled an average of 3.7 feet farther) and strikesout about 1/3 less than Parkman.Brooks is another one who could have held his
own at the big league level this year, but the Devils wanted him to learn to
take a few more walks first (very wise).They are
also privately hoping those doubles eventually translate into more homers once
he bulks up a bit.The good news for Detroit is they still
have big Marcel patrolling the bag at first next year and have the luxury of
waiting.Brooks’ upside is probably
Derek Tufnel but he should at least be a good replacement for the aging Marcel.

3. Aaron Moore, 1B – Boston

Perhaps the
best hitter in the minors, his age (22) is probably the only thing preventing
him from being atop this list.Moore has just as much
long ball and gap power you could want, he’s even a hair more disciplined at
the plate than either Moore or Brooks.With Solar’s contract up at the end of the season, there is every reason
to believe Moore
will be standing at first base for the last place Beaneaters in 2013. Oh and the scout says, "Moore, I hear he likes soup. There's something to be said for soup and you can trust people who like it."

4. Bubba Donaldson, OF – Hollywood

Another 19
year old future star, Donaldson is a long way from helping the B’s out of the
West basement.He does a little bit of
everything though none of them particularly well.That being said, why is he the 4th
best prospect in APBA?Because there’s
so much to like.Need some power? He
won’t win a long ball contest, but he can certainly hold his own.Need some speed?He’s no Kenny Anderson, but he’s plenty
fast.Want plate discipline?For a 19 year old he’s got some.Need an arm?While not the best arm in the minors, there aren’t too many baserunners
foolish enough to test him.Ok, so he could
stand to make a little more contact, but did I mention he’s 19?!There is no doubt Bubba is a project.But he’s got just as much potential as anyone
on this list except maybe Parkman.The scout says, "I am sure the B’s fans can’t wait for all of the great possibilities for
“Bubba”.I can see the signs now –
“Hollywood Bubbas”."

5. Gromit Peveto, OF – Florida

The dog on
a mission.He plays like a young Kirby
Puckett and should be a mainstay in the Penguins’ outfield for years to
come.He’s got power and speed and
really worked on making more contact this season in the minors.The Penguins lineup could look really good
over the next couple of years with Conn,
Crom, Gerald Jr, The Dwarf, and The Dog going back to back to back to back to
back. Scout says, "He's got a lot of hair. Players with a lot of hair have always fared well at the big league level."

6. Jordan Sadler, OF – St.
Louis

It is easy
to get caught up in the hype of Parkman and forget all about Sadler.But the 21 year old is ready to join The
Bruce and Bryce in the Robins outfield next season.Of course, the Robins have the aging Davenport already in place so it wouldn’t surprise us if St. Louis traded Sadler
for some much needed pitching help. Scout says, "Jordan. What kind of first name is Jordan?"

7. Squirrel Nutkin Jr, SS – Green Day

A non-jawa,
Nutkin is fielding wiz with a cannon for an arm.Offensively he may not be quite ready for the
big show but he can’t be any worse than their current shortstops.That being said, they also have young SS Erik
Smith but he’s a step behind Squirrel defensively and a virtual clone
offensively and with Eddie Walker entrenched at 2B, it is unlikely to see Smith
move where he may be more comfortable.That being said, it won’t surprise us if Smith begins 2013 as the starting
SS and the 20 year old Nutkin gets another year to bake in the minors while
Green Day hopes to build a market for Smith and trade him.It’s not like they are going to compete next
year anyway. Scout says, "Green Day needs a proven veteran not a squirrel."

8. Thomas Romero, 1B – Toledo

Toledo’s future DH.Romero has all the offensive potential of
anyone on this list (except for Parkman), but has stone hands and a suspect arm
that will likely keep him from wearing anything but a batting glove.But what potential.Rumor has it he has been lobbying to
completely cease playing the field to focus strictly on his hitting. Could this
lead to a big boost in offensive numbers?Time will tell. Scout says, "Romero sleeps with his bat."

9. Mike Sandel, 3B – Cleveland

Though not
a certainty, in a couple of years Sandel could be as good as Bobby
Barrios.Trouble is, Cleveland already has someone as good as
Bobby Barrios…Barrios himself.So, Sandel
is stuck.He is stuck behind one of the
greatest thirdbasemen in the game.They
could possibly move Sandel to 1st or trade him.Either way, he’s likely going to be ready for
prime-time in 2013. Scout says, "Little known fact, Sandel's father worked in a coalmine, so you know what that means."

10. Francisco Ortega, SS – Springfield

The best 18
year old prospect in APBA.Ortega is
still very raw defensively and offensively.However, he looks just like Tejawa did when he was 18…or was that
20?Either way, he is likely a part of
the next generation of great shortstops even if it will be a few years for him
to arrive. Scout says, "Why are you ranking an 18 year old this high? He shouldn't even be on the list yet."